Type setting and distributing machine.



B. 0. FANSLOW.

TYPE SETTING AND DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 11110.23. 1909.-

1,1 18,483. Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/TNESSES: F V INVENTOR: A, 5 bwmfmm l W s a \m R ATTORNEY.

THE NORRIS PETERS CQ. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINU ION, II I B. O. FANSLOW. TYPE SETTING AND DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 11110.23, 1909. 1,1 18,483. Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

k IIVVENTOR WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO PHOTO-LIYHOV. WASHINL TQN, D C

B. 0. PANSLOW.

TYPE SETTING AND DISTRIBUTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23, 1909 1,1 18,483. Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

$ H m -o w I I W (kw-W MZFaWM ATTORNEY.

U ITED STATESPATENT oFFIoE.

BENJAMIN O. FANSLOW, OFNEW YORK, N Y.

TYPE SETTING .ANID DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BnNJaMIN O. FANS LOW, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county,

and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Type Setting and Distributing Machines, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to machines for set-- ting individual cast type, and has particular reference to machines for settiiigiype capable of use in connection with, or as an auxiliary to, such machines as have become known as the polygraph, writer press and plano- YP i Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: To provide a machine by which individual type can be rapidly set so as to obtain an impression therefrom without the necessity for manually handling the type; to provide a machine operated similarly to a typewriter for setting individual type in composition form; to provide a machine by. which the initial operation is manual and the subsequent operation is automatic in the production of the comptr sition from individual type; to provide means by which the type, after the composition has been used, can be quickly and easily distributed in the machine; and to provide certain details for use as an auxiliary to my well-known polygraph machine.

Vith the above objects in view, and others which will be detailed during the course of this description, my invention consists in the parts, features, elements, mechanisms, and combinations of elements and mechanisms as hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have 1 provided drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of my ma chine showing the type-holders, the operating keys, and the motor, and showing the type-conveyer and supporting-frame ot' the machine in vertical section; Fig. 2 is a topplan view of the traveling-bed with a portion of the supporting-frame broken away; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, central section sub stantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the type; Fig. a perspective View of a portlon of a receiver; Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing a portion of the machine taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the bottom of one of the magazines shown In Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24,1914.

Application filed December 23, 1909. Serial No. 534,617.

Fig.1 in operative relation to the stationary bed of the supporting-frame of the machine; Fig. 8 is flJlOPlZOIIlTtIl section similar to that of Fig. 6 showing another form of my invention; Fig. 9 is a longitudinal, vertical section of one of the type-receivers having a distributing cap applied thereto and shown in cooperative relation with the top of one of the magazines shown in Fig. 1; Flg. 10 is an end elevation and partial section of another form of my invention taken substantially on the line 10-10 of Fig 11; Fig. 11 is a vertical, longitudinal section of the machine shown in Fig. 10 and broken centrally to curtail the view; and Fig. 12 is a horizontal section of the distributing cap shown in Fig. 9.

lteferring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3,.the frame of the machine consists of the bed-plate l, which may be of any size, shape or material suit.

able for the purpose of supporting the mechanism, said bed-plate having uprights secured thereto, as by screws 3, passing through the base-portions of said uprights into the bed-plate 1, there being four of these uprights arranged so as to firmly support the supporting-plate 4, the uprights being provided for the purpose with the angular portions 5 at their upper ends, and the said supporting-plate being provided, along its longitudinal edges, with the vertical flanges 6. These flanges in cooperation with the angular portions 5, to which latter the plate is secured in any suitable manner, providea rigid supporting structure and the said flanges 6 also have the additional function of aiding in the support ofthe magazine structure, as will be presently described. The bed 1, at its rear end, is provided with the vertically-extending journalbearings 7, in which is journaled the idle roller 8, and at a point alongits length said support is also provided with vertically-ex: tending journalbearings 9, in which is journaled the driving-roller 10, the shaft of which, at opposite ends, has fixed thereto the pulleys 11, and said shaft also having one end extended, and the gear 12 fixed to said extended end, which gear meshes with the pinion 13, fixed to the driving-shaft 14 of the motor 15, which may be any ordinary type of electrical motor. Bearings 9 are connected by a cross-bar 16, from the center of which depend two bearings 17 each supporting a roller 18. At the right of roller 10, the bed 1 is provided with two journalpins 19, extending vertically therefrom, each carrying a roll 20; and at the left of said driving-roller 10, at opposite sides of the supporting-plate 4, the bed has vertically extending therefrom two pins 21, each provided with a roller 22 and each provided below said roller with a pulley 23. The pulleys 11 and 23, on the opposite sides of the supporting-plate 4, are connected by the driving-belts 24; and extending around each set of rolls 18, 20 and 22 is a verticallydisposed feed-belt 25. Extending around the idle-roller 8 and the driving-roller 10 is the traveling conveyer 26, consisting of an endless band or belt of any suitable material, the upper portion of the belt extending over the supporting-plate 4 and operating in close relation thereto so as to avoid sagging of the belt, said support extending from the idle-roll 8 to the driving-roll 10. By referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the arrangement of the feed-belts 25 is such as to have the effective portion thereof extending obliquely across the traveling conveyer 26 from the rolls 22, and the two converging at the rolls 18 and from thence running parallel to the rolls 20. The parallel portions of the feed-belts 25, between the rolls 1S and 20, are the distance apart substan* tially of the length of the head of the type upon which they operate, and extending between the belts in this parallel stretch are the two inclined rails 27, the same being joined by a solid portion 27*, extending to the surface of the conveyer 26, the rails 27 having horizontal portions 2T near the top of the feed-belts 25. The rails are held in parallelism by the brackets 28, fixed to the bed 1 at opposite ends of said rails, The bottom of the solid portion 27* is beveled so as to set close to the conveyer 26 and have its lower edge flush with the surface of the conveyer. At the free ends of the rails 27 is a receiver-support 29, the surface of which is provided with the parallel flanges 30, spaced apart sufiiciently to accommodate the receiver and hold the same frictionally in position with one end close to the ends of the rails 27 and with its upper open end at the top of the horizontal portions 27 of said rails. From the foregoing description, it will be understood that when the types 31 are dropped upon the traveling conveyer 26 they will be carried along into contact with the feed-belts 25, and by the latter up the inclined rails 27, with their heads 32 on the tops of the rails and their bodies extending between said rails. Reaching the horizontal portions 27 of the rails, the types will be carried into the receiver 33, the grooves 34 of the type cooperating with the longitudinal ribs 35 of the receiver, and their heads riding on the edges of the side 36, the type being thus held from accidental removal from the receiver. As the types are successively fed into the receiver 33, one will push the other or others along until said receiver is completely filled, whereupon the operator will remove the receiver and quickly place another in position. As shown in Fig, 5, the receiver is substantially U-shaped in cross-section and the longitudinal ribs 35 thereof are disposed substantially midway of the width of the sides 36 thereof, which latter are of a width corresponding substantially to the length of the type-body below the head 32 thereofand thegrooves 34 in said type-body are disposed so as to register accurately with the longitudinal ribs 35 of the receiver. When the composition has been completed in a number of the re ceivers 33, they are properly placed in the chase of'my polygraph shown, for example, in my Patent No. 873,361, dated "December 10, 1907, and locked therein by the usual furniture.

In combination with the typefeeding mechanism just described, I employ the type-setting mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7. This mechanism consists of the type magazines 37', which are tubular in form and are disposed vertically relatively to the conveyer 26 and arranged in parallelism from the left end of said conveyer to approximately the position of the feed-belts 25,

,any number of said magazine-tubes being employed, or rather a number corresponding to the different characters in a font of type and any additions thereto in the shape of complete words or combinations of letters forming syllables, etc. The magazines 3'? are each formed as'shown in cross-section in Figs. 6 and7, viz., rectangular in form, but with one side 38 enlarged and the other side 39 considerably narrower and longer. This form is given to correspond substantially with the type 31, the enlarged portion 38 receiving the head of the type and the narrow portion '39 receiving the body of the type. The narrow portion of each magazine on its opposite sides adjacent the enlarged portion, and at the lower end of said magazine, is provided with the teats 40, corresponding to the shape of the grooves 34 in the type-body, these teats, in cooperation with the flange 41, also at the bottom of the magazine, forming a rest or support for the type piled up in the latter. The magazines at their lower ends, are open and the front portions thereof are extended as at 42 to enable a proper clearance to be made for the type, one at a time, as will. be presently explained. portion 42, in the back of the magazines, a transverse slot 43 is formed, in which operates the wedge-shaped ejectors 44, the backs of whichtravel in the grooved guide,

Directly opposite the extended nected to an angulararm 46, which extends transversely of the machine to engagement with the short arm 47 of a bell-crank typelever, fulcrumed at 48 to a bearing 149, carried bythe bed 1, and the long arm 50 of whichlever is extended into convenient position for manipulation by the operator and carries at its free end the key 51, in manner similar to a typewriter. The arms 46 are braced and guided in their action by one or more guide-plates 46 secured tothe sides of the magazines 37 near their lower ends, as shown in Figs. 1. and 6. The key-levers 50 are normally held elevated by springs 52, coiled about a rod 53, and having one arm fixed to a bar 54, and the other arm in engagementwith said lever. The guide-bars 45 extend transversely of the machine and of the'conveyer 26 at suitable distances apart between the magazine-tubes and are secured in any suitable manner to the several longitudinal magazine-supporting and type-guidingbars 55, the said two sets of bars 45 and 55 constituting the supportingframe for the magazine-tubes, brace-bars 56 being located near the upper ends of said magazinetubes and extending longitudinally of the structure for giving strength and rigidity to the latter. The outer ones of the longitudinal bars 55 are longitudinally grooved, as shown in Fig. 1, for the reception of the upturned flanges 6 of the supporting-plate 4, and each of the guide-bars 45, at their ends, is turned down over the sides of saidouter bars 55,as indicated at 57, Fig. 1, thesefeatures of construction likewise adding to the strength of the structure and also providing the means by which the type-settingmechanism is arranged and held in proper cooperative relation to the type-feeding mechanism. The bars 55 are arranged so that they have between them suflicient space for the types, dropped upon the conveyer, to slide along freely to the belts 25 and are extended forward into close proximity to said belts and rounded in the direction of feed so as to keep the type always pointed in the right direction. Moreover, said bars are set so close to the surface of the conveyor that there is no chance for the types passing under said bars. Hence, the types are positively guided and properly directed and kept properly headed toward the guide-rails 27; Obvi-.

ously, the operator manipulating the key-levers will operate the wedge-shaped ejectors to cause their respective faces to enter the slots 43 in the backs'of the magazines and engage the backs of the types so as to, so to speak, kick the latter from the supporting-flange 41 and teats 40, thus forcing the type into the extended portion 42 ot' the magazines and causing the grooves 3-l of the types to register with said teats 40, whereupon the types will in succession drop from the ends of the magazines upon the conveyer 26 and by the latter carriedinto enshown in Fig.8, wherein 59 indicates the end of the arm 46, which end is bentto, in a a measure, correspond with theform of the type; that is to say,said end is provided with an offset 60 andits free end 61 is ex tended from said ofi'set inparallelism with the head of the type, the part 59 corresponding with the body of the type. In this form, the magazine is closed at its bottom, as indicated at 62, and open at its opposite sides to permit the ejection of the type on the one side and the entrance of the ejectors 59 on the other side, the rear side of the tube bemgprovided with the lip 63 for supporting the head of the type and the front side of the tube being provided with the lip 64: for

supporting the body of the type when the latter is ejected until the head thereof has cleared the bottom of the tube. In this form of my mvention, the type will be kicked laterally from the magazine-tubes and dropped upon the traveling-bed 26 between the bars 55 of the structure, as previously described.

Up to this point,it will be seen that provislon has been made for setting type through the medium of a key-board arranged in combination with a continuous conveyer or feed, which carries the type deposited thereon into receivers 33, which are subsequently set in my polygraph machine. After the composition has been used to the extent desired, the receivers i are taken from the polygraph machine and distributed to the magazine-tubes 37, this "being accomplished by placing upon one end of the receiver 33 a cap composed of the sleeve 65 and the offset enlargement 66, the form of this cap being, in cross-section, rectangular and of a size proper to snugly embracethe end of said receiver. The bottom of the cap is open, but its sides at the bottom are provided with the oppositelydisposed teats 67 and with the corner lips 68, which afl'ord a support for the type which is allowed to slide thereinto preparatory to distributing the same. The extension 66 is for the purpose of accommodating the type when the same is pushed forward from the supporting-lip and teats. At its rear said cap is provided, above the lip 68, withthe vertical slot 69. For the purpose of effectually distributing the type from the receiver .33, and producing proper cooperation with the magazines 37, each of the latter, at its top, is provided with the disposed flanges" 70,-between which, atits rear, each tube is provided with the lug 71. The flanges operate as guides between which the receiver 33 is pushed and the lug 71 cooperates with the slot 69 by entering the latter and engaging the end of the type, whereby, as the operator pushes the receiver 33 between the two said flanges 70, to cause the lug 71 to enter said slot 69, the type will be pushed from the supporting-lip 68 until the grooves 34 of said type register with the supporting-teats 67 ,where-. upon the type will drop downwardly into the magazine-tube. Each tube, for the pur pose of facilitating the distribution of the type, will be marked to indicate the type or typecharacter it contains.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the frame, generally indicated by 7 2, is supported upon the columns 73, extending from the bed-plate 1, and said frame 72 is provided with the transverse guide-bars 74, in form substan tially the same as the guide-bars 45, in the grooves of which are received the backs of the wedge-shaped ejectors 75, connected by the arms 76, each to a key-lever 77, as in the other form of my invention, the keyboard structure being substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 1. The magazinetubes, at the top, are each provided with the flanges 70 and lugs 71, and said tubes are in form, in cross-section, substantially the same as those of Fig. 1; but, at their lower ends are reduced in size, owing to the manner in which the types are ejected. That is to say, after being a kicked from the supporting-lip and teats, as described with reference to Fig. 6, the head of the type being the heavier, immediately turns down wardly into the narrowed portion 37 of the magazine-tubes and drops through said narrowed portion to the conveyer 78, in this instance of my invention, in the form of a stationary chute. The action of the type in droppinghead downwardly, as just indicated, is facilitated by the curved or flared rear portion 79' of the tube-portion 37 at its juncture, with the tube-portion 37, this structure causing the body or heel of the type to drag sufiiciently to cause the head to certainly descend first into the narrowed tube-portion 37*. The tube 37 is made with the narrowed bottom portion 37 because, as the type lies in the portion 37, its diameter must be that of the overall dimension of said type as it lies upon its broad side. But, as the type is ejected at the bottom of the said tube-portion 37 and descends head first, it is only necessary to make the width of the tube-portion 37 from right to left in Fig. 11, correspond with the width of the type from right to left, in Fig. 4, but the width of the tube from front to back of Fig. 11 must, of course, correspond with the, width of the type from f on t back of g- By hu changing the form of the tube-portion 37% the latter is caused to maintain its snug fit along the type and prevents the latter from wabbling or getting stuck in the tubeportion 37*, in its descent into the conveyer 78. The form of the conveyer 78, in cross-section, is shown in Fig. 10 and is calculated to retain the type in practically the condition or position it is in when it enters the same. Thus, the type will descend head first down the chute-conveyer, as shown in Fig. 11, until it reaches the longitudinal slot 80, near the bottom thereof, whereupon the body-portion of said type will drop through t e sl a d make the rest of ts descent hanging by its head 32. In this position, it will enter the receiver 33 of the form shown in Fig. 5, which is supported, with one of its open ends in proper position relatively to the delivery-end of the chute 78, by the inclined portion 1 of the support, said inclined portion having the sidefianges 1", which are vertically extended as at 1, to embrace and support the delivery-end of the chute 78, the latter being supported at its receiving-end by the depending-flange 72 of the frame. other details, where possible, the machine of the form of Figs. 10 and 11 will be substantially the same as the machine of Fig. l; but, obviously, the machine of the form of Figs. 10 and 11 is not intended to be used in combination with the feeding mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Having thus described the details of my invention, as well as the general mode of operation, it remains to be suggested only that, as an auxiliary to a polygraph, writerpress, planotype, or other similar machine, my invention is of great importance, since the type can be set with extraordinary facility and the composition made up, placed in the chase and impressions obtained in a remarkably short period of time. Furthermore, several operatives can be working at the same time, which is now an impossibility in connection with a writerpress, planotype, or any similar machine. That is to say, one operative can be setting up the composition by manipulating the key-board, and as soon as each receiver is filled with the composition another operator can remove the same from the machine and place another therein, taking the filled receiver to the polygraph and placing it in the chase and continuing this operation until the composition is complete, whereupon a third operator can manipulate the polygraph and obtain hundreds, of copies, while the second operator is distributing type of an .old composition to the machine or filling up an other polygraph, and the first operator is still manipulating the key-board in setting up a new form. Obviously, the speed of the In all feeding mechanism can be anything desired, since the gearing 12 and 13 can be such as to cause any desired speed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A type-setting machine having, in combination, a type-conveyer; means for holding the type arranged at one end of and above said conveyer; means for discharging the type from the holding means upon the conveyer; and means for guiding the type after the latter has left the conveyor; means for shifting the type relatively to the conveyer and feeding the same from the latter to and along the guiding means; and means cooperating with said guiding means for receiving the type one by one in the sequence of their delivery from the holder.

2. A type-setting machine having, in combination, a type conveyer; a plurality of type magazines arranged in vertical parallelism at one end of the conveyer and above the same; means for discharging the type from the magazines upon the conveyor one by one; guidingymeans arranged at the opposite end of the conveyor so as to take and lift the type from the latter; means for shifting the type relatively to the conveyor and feeding the same upon and along the guiding means; and typen'eceiving means arranged at the delivery end of the guiding means for receivingthe type in the sequence of their ejection from the magazines upon the conveyer.

3. A feeding mechanism for type-setting machines having, in combination, an endless-band conveyer; power means for actuating said conveyer; auxiliary devices cooperating with said conveyor and extending across the same at an angle thereto, the said auxiliary devices having portions extending in parallelism beyond the end of the con- Copies otthis patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

veyer and other portions arranged so as to cause them to converge substantially midway of the conveyor; and means connecting the power means with the auxiliary devices for actuating the same.

4. A feeding mechanism for type-setting machines including a conveyor; auxiliary devices arranged at an angle to said conveyer and extending across the same, and having parallel portions extending beyond the end of said conveyer; and verticallyinclined rails cooperatlng w1th and extending across the parallel portions of said aux-v iliary devices whereby the latter will carry the type along said rails.

5. The combination with a supporting frame of a key-board arranged conveniently for operation; type-conveying means arranged adjacent the keyboard and at a rightangle thereto; type magazines arranged in parallelism above and at one end of the conveying means; connecting means between the keyboard and the magazines, whereby type maybe ejected from the latter under operation of the keyboard, so as to deposit said type upon the conveyor; guiding means for the type arranged at the opposite end of the conveyer for receiving and lifting the type from the latter; means for shifting the type relatively to the conveyor and moving, the same upon and along the guiding means; and a receiver for the type arranged in 00- operative relation to the guiding means, whereby the type may be deposited in the receiver in the sequence of their ejection from the magazines.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN O. FANSLOW.

Witnesses:

CHAS. M00. CHAPMAN,

HILLOCK.

Washington, D. O." 

